Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. A Tony Award winner, he played George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.
Alexander made his Broadway debut originating the role of Joe in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981. He remained active on Broadway acting in the musicals The Rink in 1984, Personals in 1985, and the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound in 1986. He then starred in Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He appeared in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks' The Producers. He was the artistic director of "Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles", where he has directed musicals.
His film roles include Pretty Woman (1990), The Paper (1994), Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997), The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), Shallow Hal (2001), and Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009). He also voiced the gargoyle Hugo in the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). For his role in Dream On (1994) he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also acted in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019). He also voiced the title character in Duckman (1994–1997).
Early life and education
Greenspan was born in Newark, New Jersey to a Jewish family, the son of Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager. Greenspan later borrowed his father’s first name to create his stage name, Jason Alexander.
Alexander grew up in Maplewood and Livingston, New Jersey, and is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School. Interested in magic from an early age, he initially hoped to be a magician, but while attending a magic camp was told that his hands were too small for card magic. He became interested in theater, eventually realizing, "Wait a minute—the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing up there is real" and that theater itself was "a magic trick". He then decided to pursue a theater career.
After high school, he studied theatre at Boston University. He wanted to pursue classical acting, but a professor redirected him toward comedy after noticing his physique, remarking, "I know your heart and soul are Hamlet, but you will never play Hamlet." Alexander left Boston University without a degree after his third year to take a full-time acting job in New York City. The university awarded him an honorary degree in 1995.
